Operation: LAST
by Animeaddict56
Summary: When Kuki's thirteenth birthday comes, Nigel worries that the Sector V he knew and loved may no longer remember him or each other. He worries that things may have changed for the worse. But Wally proves that not everything changes, when he finds himself flustered and confused on how to deal with his feelings for Kuki, and what to do when another guy starts to show an interest.


**Disclaimer – I do not own Codename Kids Next Door.**

 **Note – I wrote this one for a bit of fun. At the end, it actually ties into my other story, Operation: M.E.M.O.R.Y. But this was mainly just to get the idea from my head. I may do more, if any other ideas pop into my head. But no promises. So read and enjoy.**

Operation: L.A.S.T.

Love

Always

Survives

Time

* * *

Nigel Uno sighed heavily as he stepped into his room at the Galactic Kids Next Door headquarters. He was tired, almost unable to keep his eyes open. He rubbed his eyes as he slipped off his coat and boots, his gloves following next. His last mission had taken him almost two days, and he was now exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to drop onto his own bed, and just sleep.

As he sat down on his bed, he noticed his 2x4 alarm was blinking. Curious, he clicked on one of the buttons, and a hologram of an Earth calendar appeared. Nigel stared at the calendar. One of the days was blinking. Today's date was blinking. He looked at the date carefully, then felt himself freeze.

Today was Numbuh Three's thirteenth birthday. . .

Nigel felt his shoulders sag as concern and sadness started to overwhelm him. Today was the day that his last teammate would be decommissioned. He rubbed at his eyes again.

Nigel hadn't wanted to lose track of time on his home planet, so he'd programed his calendar to keep up with the time and date on Earth. He'd also kept track of his friends' birthdays and ages. And Kuki had been the youngest. She was thirteen now, just like the rest of them. The Sector V he knew and loved were now officially decommissioned. . .

"Maybe not," he whispered to himself.

And while the possibility was small, it _could_ be true. Perhaps they would be placed on the TND as secret operatives. After all, his team had been famous for the missions they completed and the work they did. _He_ thought they were good enough to be placed on the TND.

Not bothering to change into more comfortable clothes, he laid down on his bed and closed his eyes. He wished that he could be there for Numbuh Three. To be there so she wasn't alone before being decommissioned. So that she had someone from Sector V there to see her off.

"I'm sorry, guys. Happy birthday, Kuki."

* * *

 **A Week Later...**

Kuki hummed as she danced around the floor of her room, a catchy pop song playing from her CD player. She was thrilled that she could _actually_ move around her room now! Her soft pink carpet was visible again, now that all of those stuffed animals had been cleaned up. Instead of piling up on the floor, she had them on shelves that she'd convinced her father to put up. They lined around the wall of her room, although her favorite rainbow monkeys still sat on her bed. She knew shew as supposed to be growing up and getting ready for high school next year, but she just wasn't ready to part with them yet.

"Kuki! Your friends are here!" Mrs. Sanban called from downstairs.

Kuki squealed with excitement as she immediately switched off the music and bounded out of her room and down the stairs. She began to slip on her shoes.

"Kuki! Where are you going?" Mushi demanded with a bit of a huff. "The new Rainbow Monkeys cartoon is going to be on in a few minutes!"

Kuki just gave her little sister a smile and patted her head. "Sorry, Mushi. But I've got plans. You'll have to watch it by yourself."

"But we always watch it together!" Mushi complained loudly, glaring at the door that her friends stood behind.

Kuki rolled her eyes and shook her head. "It's just a cartoon, Mush. I'll catch the rerun later tonight. Bye!"

Kuki opened the front door and quickly slipped outside. She didn't want to be present for another Mushi Sanban tantrum. She skipped down the sidewalk, where her best friends in the world were waiting for her.

Abigail Lincoln noticed her first. "Hey, girl," she greeted. Then she nudged another one of their friends. "You've gotta present."

Hoagie Gilligan was practically giggling. "Yeah! Wally has something for ya!" Then he shoved said friend forward.

Kuki felt herself blush a little when Wallabee Beetles stumbled forward. He was blushing too, avoiding her eyes with his hands shoved into the pockets of his orange hoodie. "Uh . . . yeah," he mumbled. "So, I'm sorry I forgot to get you a birthday gift last week."

Kuki perked up a little. All of her friends had gotten her something for her birthday . . . except for Wally. It wasn't that he'd forgotten her birthday completely, he'd just forgotten to pick up a present. Personally, Kuki was content with the fact that he remembered her birthday, considering he forgot everyone else's birthdays. She had been ok even without a present.

"Aw, Wally, that's ok! I was just happy that you remembered to come to the party," Kuki replied with a smile.

Wally's face almost seemed to turn even pinker. "Well I got you something anyways. So," he pulled a wrapped present out from his pocket, "happy belated birthday."

Kuki's smile brightened with excitement as she took the present, then hugged him. "Thanks, Wally!"

* * *

Wally felt his face grow even hotter when Kuki hugged him. He could hear Abby and Hoagie giggling like girls behind him. Wally just gulped as he pulled away. "It's just a cruddy present," he muttered, shoving his hands back into his pockets.

"Ok, you two," Abby said, still giving Wally a teasing grin, "let's go get the belated birthday girl some ice cream. You can open your present there."

"Yeah, let's go!" Hoagie cheered. He picked up his bike from the grass. The others followed suit, and began to ride to the local ice cream parlor. They were almost there when Hoagie spoke. "Hey, guys, did you hear why the bike was so exhausted? Because it was two tired! Get it? _Two_ tired?"

The other three groaned at his cheesy joke. Abby narrowed her eyes at him. "Fool, if we wasn't ridin' bikes right now, I'd slug ya one," she stated.

"Geesh," Hoagie mumbled. "Tough crowd."

The four preteens came to a stop when they reached the ice cream parlor, and placed their bikes on the bike rack.

"Oh! I'm getting a triple fudge sundae!" Kuki said eagerly as they stepped into the cool air of the ice cream parlor.

"I'm going for a classic mint and chocolate chip," Hoagie boasted with an excited grin.

Wally was the first to step up to the counter. "Yeah, I want a large rocky road. And she'll have a triple fudge sundae," he ordered, motioning to Kuki as he handed the money to the cashier. He did his best to seem casual and ignore his blush as Kuki looked at him with surprise.

"Wally, you didn't have to do that!" Kuki insisted. "I could have bought it."

Wally just shrugged, avoiding her eyes. "Too bad, I already bought it. Go ahead and pick a table," he mumbled.

* * *

Kuki felt her cheeks warm up. She hugged Wally again. "Thanks," she said quietly, knowing that Wally was already embarrassed.

"Yeah, no problem," he muttered.

Kuki skipped off as Hoagie and Abby ordered their own ice cream. She chose a booth near the window that opened out to the park across the street. She always thought it was nice to watch all the little kids out playing and enjoying the day. She sat down, sitting the present Wally got her on the table.

"Hey, there Sanban. What are you doing here alone?"

Kuki turned her head from the window to see a boy with sandy, slicked back hair and sunglasses standing by the table. "Oh, hiya, Ace! I'm waiting for my ice cream. How about you?"

Ace was one of the coolest kids at Gallagher Middle School, and considered a heartthrob to most girls. Even Kuki had to admit that he was handsome and charming. And his smirk was something that could make a girl's heart skip a beat.

He was giving her that same smirk. "Getting an ice cream to cool off. Happy belated birthday, by the way. Sorry I couldn't make it to the party."

Kuki gave him a smile. "That's ok. I understand."

"Did you get my present, at least?" Ace inquired as he sat down next to her.

She nodded. "Yes! And thank you! How did you know what kind of music I listened to?" Ace had gotten her three different pop CDs, all of them among her favorite singers.

Ace continued to smirk. "Aw, it was just a guess on the artists. But you always seemed to be listening to pop on the bus ride to school."

"Ace."

Kuki and Ace turned to see that Wally had come to the table, two ice creams in his hands.

Ace stood up. "Wallabee," he said coolly.

* * *

Wally felt his blood boil at the sight of Ace anywhere near Kuki. And seeing that dumb smirk on the idiot's cruddy face made Wally wanna sock him a good one!

But he kept his cool, knowing that Kuki hated him getting into fights. He set her sundae down in front of her. "Here's your ice cream," he mentioned. He quickly sat down next to her, not wanting to give Ace the chance to sit down again.

"I should have realized the four of you were here together," Ace said smugly. And Wally didn't like his tone. As if this clown was implying that he and Kuki would never be there by themselves, without Abby or Hoagie.

"Well we are!" Wally said quickly. "So beat it."

Ace just continued to smirk. Then he looked to Kuki again. "I'll see you around, Sanban. Again, happy belated birthday."

"Bye, Ace!" Kuki said with a small wave, before digging into her sundae.

Wally began to eat his too, now feeling a bit deflated. Did she actually like that joker? The thought made him want to go and hit that kid good . . . but it also hurt. The idea of Kuki liking some guy . . . it sent this strange pang of . . . of _feelings_ through his chest.

"Ain't nothing Abby loves more than some cookie dough ice cream," Abby claimed as she sat down.

Hoagie slid into the seat next to her, already digging into his ice cream cone. "I wonder if I should have gotten a bigger sized cone," he wondered.

The four of them continued to eat their frozen treats, talking about this and that, and their upcoming ascension to high school. Wally mostly complained about that. For him, it was a give and take situation. While he'd get to play sports, and go from sissy flag football to a _real_ football team, he'd also be in school, which was not his specialty.

Wally sighed as he wiped off his face, but stopped when he saw Abby giving him a weird look. He scowled at her, confused. But she then looked to Kuki, then looked back to him and raised a brow. Wally felt his cheeks flush a little. He knew what she was hinting at, and he wished she'd just leave it alone!

Abby rolled her eyes. "Hey, Hoagie, help me pick out another ice cream flavor," she instructed, nudging him to get up.

Hoagie looked at her with confusion. "Haven't you tried every flavor on their menu already?" he laughed.

"Just go, fool," Abby commanded, pushing him along.

Wally gulped. Now it was just him and Kuki sitting at the booth . . . alone, next to one another. And knowing Abby, she'd stall for as long as she could to leave them like that.

He looked over to Kuki, who was texting someone. Probably her sister. But then Ace came into his head, and he felt an anger and panic rise in his stomach. Did that dumb kid text her? Did he even have her number? Wally gritted his teeth before taking in a deep breath. Like Abby said; be calm. Be smooth.

"Uh, so you didn't open your present yet," Wally commented. Then he internally groaned. What part of that was smooth or cool?

But Kuki smiled. "Oh, yeah!" She quickly pushed aside the empty and sticky plastic dish, and pulled her present close, beginning to unwrap it. When she opened the tiny box, she gasped. "Oh, Wally!" She pulled out a small rainbow monkey keychain. "It's perfect!"

Wally just shrugged. "Well, you said your dad told you to stop carrying around your old stuffed toy, so I thought I'd get you a rainbow monkey that you can carry around without him complaining," he explained. He blushed heavily when she suddenly hugged him tightly.

"Thank you! I love it! It's the best present anyone got me!" Kuki exclaimed.

"It's no big deal. It's just a cruddy keychain."

She pulled away from the hug . . . but not before she placed a simple and chaste kiss on his cheek. Wally froze, unable to ignore how his heart was now beating in his ears.

"I'm tellin' ya! The birthday cake flavor is one of the best," Hoagie announced loudly, shaking Wally from his reverie.

Abby was giving Wally a knowing look, which he avoided. "You crazy if you think it beats out industrial chocolate."

Later, when they were all leaving the ice cream parlor, Abby grabbed the hood to Wally's hoodie, forcing him to walk slower. "Fool, I gave you the perfect chance to say something to her, and you didn't?"

Wally pulled away from her, avoiding her eyes. "What am I supposed to say?"

"Oh, I don't know. How about telling her about the big crush you've had on her for years, and that you'd like to be her boyfriend?" Abby mocked.

Wally looked at his shoes as he kicked at the sidewalk. It was true. All of it, even if he would never say so out loud. He _did_ have the biggest crush on Kuki. And . . . well he _did_ want to be her boyfriend. But what did Abby expect? Was he just supposed to walk up to her and say all that crud? How stupid was that?

Abby, sensing his uncertainty and his stubbornness, sighed. "Look, you want Ace to be her boyfriend?"

Wally looked at her sharply. "That dumb kid will be her boyfriend over my dead body! And he'll have a dead body first!" he exclaimed.

Abby rolled her eyes. "Well you wait any longer, and he's gunna ask her out. So if you don't want that to happen, then you'd better beat him to it."

* * *

"I really think I've got a chance of winning the middle school science fair this year," Hoagie insisted. The four of them sat atop the highest point in town. Hoagie was lying in the grass, under the shade of a tree. Abby was leaning back against the tree, while Kuki sat near the edge, looking down at their little town. Wally sat near his bike, idly spinning the front wheel.

"Don't you win every year?" Wally pointed out.

"No, he lost to Jacob last year, remember?" Kuki replied.

Hoagie crossed his arms. "Don't remind me. But this year, I'm taking first place."

"What's your project going to be?" Abby questioned.

"I don't know yet. But Jacob and I have agreed to team up this year. With the two best minds at Gallagher Middle School working together, we'll be unbeatable," Hoagie said proudly.

"More like mad scientists," Wally quipped. "We'll be lucky if you two nerds don't accidentally blow up the gym."

"One time!" Hoagie complained.

Abby stood up and stretched. "Well, I'd better get home. My dad said he was going to be home for dinner today, so Mom said she was going all out for it." She looked expectantly at Hoagie.

Hoagie scrambled to get up too. "Yeah, and I told my grandma I'd run a few errands for her," he said quickly.

"We'll see you two later," Abby said as they picked up their bikes.

"Bye, guys!" Kuki said with a wave. She sighed as the two rode off, then looked to Wally. "When do you have to be home?"

Wally didn't look at her, but continued to spin the wheel of his bike. "I dunno. Mum didn't say. Probably before dark."

Kuki gave a nod. She bit her lip for a moment, considering her words before speaking. "Wally?"

Finally, he looked at her. "Yeah?"

She waved him over. "Come here," she instructed. Wally got up, and came to stand by her, but Kuki patted the grass. "Sit."

She could see him hesitate, but he did as she asked. He shoved his hands into his hoodie pocket. "What is it?"

Kuki looked out over the town again. She had to be delicate about this, otherwise Wally would just be stubborn. "I was just curious . . . is there any reason you've been acting kinda weird since we left the ice cream parlor?"

Kuki wasn't a complete airhead. She knew about Wally's crush on her. And it thrilled her to no end to know that her feelings for him were returned. But she also knew that Wally was a bit . . . awkward with his own feelings, and he never knew how to express himself. At times, it frustrated her when it seemed like he was finally going to tell her, but would stop at the last second. But she knew that pushing him would get them nowhere. She had to be subtle.

Wally looked at the town too. "What do you mean weird?"

Kuki shrugged. "You haven't said much to me since we came here. I was just wondering if something was wrong."

"Nope," Wally said simply.

Kuki sighed quietly. "If you're sure," she whispered. Ok, where did she go now?

"Um," Wally spoke first, "Kuki?"

She looked at him, and noticed the tiny blush on his cheeks. "Yeah, Wally?"

He glanced at her, but quickly looked back in front of him. "Um . . . do you, uh…"

"Yes?" Kuki asked, hope rising in waves.

Wally looked at her with a small scowl. "Do you hang out with that Ace kid a lot?"

And just like that, those hopes deflated. "What?"

"Do you hang out with that Ace kid a lot? Because if you do, you probably shouldn't," Wally stated. "You'd just be leading the guy on."

"Leading him on?" Kuki questioned, her own irritation rising a little.

"Yeah, and it's not fair to lead a guy on," Wally said casually.

Kuki stood from her spot, glaring down at him. "Not fair? Me talking with a friend isn't fair?"

Wally stood up too. "I see the way the guy looks at you! He obviously likes you, and it's not fair to lead the guy on, so you should stop hanging out with him."

"If leading people on isn't fair, then why do you constantly do it to me?" Kuki hissed.

Wally looked taken aback, his eyes wide. "What . . . what are you talking about?"

"Because every time you start to tell me how you feel about me, you back out and end up saying something stupid instead!" Kuki yelled. "And I get my hopes up every time, but you lead me on, and then you crush them! _That's_ not fair!"

"Well what am I supposed to say?" Wally complained. "Every time I start, I realize how stupid I sound, and how stupid I'd be for thinking that you'd pick me over some guy like that cruddy Ace, so why bother?"

"I would always pick you over Ace!" Kuki countered. "I've been picking you over Ace for years! You think he hasn't asked me out before? He even asked me to go to the dance with him last year! But I said no, because I was hoping _you'd_ ask me!"

"That kid asked you out?" Wally said furiously.

Kuki almost screamed. "Wallabee Beetles, I like you! And I know you like me too, so will you just ask me out already?"

They both grew quiet then. Kuki waited for him to speak, while Wally wasn't sure what to say. She liked him . . . She liked him! Kuki Sanban, the girl he'd liked for years actually liked him back! And that Ace kid he hated had asked out the girl he liked . . .

"Let me know if that cruddy Ace guy ever asks you out again," Wally stated.

Kuki, who had been hoping he'd finally ask her out, looked at him with small surprise. "What?"

Wally crossed his arms. "I said if that Ace guy goes around asking my girlfriend out, I wanna know," he stated firmly, avoiding her eyes and ignoring the blush that was returning to his cheeks.

Her heart fluttered, and Kuki couldn't help the smile that started to appear. It wasn't romantic or sweet, but that wasn't Wally's style. That was never something she'd expect from him. And if you knew Wally as well as she did, you knew that his words _were_ sweet, in his own little way.

She stepped forward a little. "So, I'm your girlfriend now?"

Wally's blush deepened. "Well, yeah! That's what you want, isn't it! You want me to stop crushing your hopes? Well fine. Then you're my girlfriend. And if Ace ever hits on my girlfriend again, I'll beat him to a bloody pulp!"

Kuki giggled at his attempts to hide how flustered he was. She took his hand in hers, and gave it a small squeeze. "I'll let him know," she said, still giggling slightly.

Wally gulped at the feel of her hand in his. "Good," he mumbled, shoving his other hand into his pocket.

Kuki reached forward to move his hair away from his eyes. In the last year, Wally had hit a growth spurt, and he was now a little taller than her. And while his hair wasn't in the bowl cut style he'd had when they were younger, it still fell into his eyes a lot.

Wally pulled back from her hand. "What?"

Kuki smiled. "I just think your eyes are too cute to hide behind your hair," she replied.

Wally scoffed. "That's a girl word. I'm not cute," he defended.

She giggled. "Whatever. Just don't hide your eyes. I like 'em too much."

* * *

When twilight came, and the sun was starting to set, the two preteens rode back down to their small suburban neighborhood. But instead of going straight home, Wally rode with Kuki to her house, and even walked her to the front door.

"Are you sure you don't want to come inside?" Kuki insisted. "I know my parents wouldn't mind you having dinner with us."

Wally hesitated. Mr. Sanban might not have minded Kuki's friend over for dinner, but a _boyfriend_ might be a different issue. And Wally personally wasn't ready for that yet. So he shook his head. "Nah, it's fine. I'll just . . . I'll just come by tomorrow, and we'll go do something?"

Kuki nodded. "Like a movie?"

Wally looked at her skeptically. "I'm not seeing some girly movie," he muttered.

Kuki laughed. "Ok. We'll see if we can find something we _both_ will like." She paused for a moment. But then leaned forward to place a short kiss on his cheek. "Thanks for the present, Wally."

Wally gulped quietly, but gave her a smile. "It's just a keychain, Kuki. It's not that big a deal, really."

She giggled. "I wasn't talking about the keychain." She opened the front door and stepped inside. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Wally nodded dumbly. "Yeah. See ya tomorrow." He walked back to his bike as she shut the door, her words still echoing in his head. He grinned, but it turned into a stupid smile. He was dating Kuki Sanban now. She was his girlfriend, and _she_ was the one that had demanded it. Because _she_ liked _him_ , not stupid Ace.

He mounted his bike, but stopped to push his hair from his eyes. Maybe he'd have to ask his mum to take him to get his hair cut.

* * *

 **FOUR YEARS LATER…**

"Come on, Wally, please take me to school!" Joey Beetles begged as he followed his brother down the stairs. "There are too many girls on the bus, and all they do is giggle and talk about stupid stuff! Not to mention their cooties!"

Wally rolled his eyes. "The bus ain't that bad, Joey. Just borrow my iPod and ignore them." He ruffled his brother's hair. "Now, I'll see you later." He left the house, and jogged over to the truck his dad had let him have after he'd gotten his license.

It was a short drive to the Sanban household, and when he pulled up to the curb, he honked the horn and waited. As soon as he did, he could see Mr. Sanban appear in the window, glaring his way. Wally shrank into his seat a little. Years later, and Kuki's dad _still_ wasn't thrilled with their relationship. And it really didn't help that he'd caught them making out in his truck last week when he was dropping her off after a date.

Kuki skipped out of the house, and he straightened up. Wally leaned over and opened the truck door. She climbed in and buckled up before giving him a quick kiss. And while he could see her dad almost fuming in the window, Wally couldn't help but smile.

"Ready?" Wally asked.

Kuki nodded. "Yup!"

Wally pulled away from the curb, and made his way to Gallagher High School. He kept his eyes on the road as he felt her hand reach forward to brush his hair from his eyes. "I know, I know. My bangs are getting long. I'm going to get a cut this weekend."

She giggled. "I wasn't going to say anything," she retorted.

Wally grinned. "But you were thinking it," he teased. "Besides, a haircut would probably be a good idea. Homecoming week is just around the corner, and Mum will give me hell if I don't look nice."

"So will your date," Kuki joked. "By the way, do you think football practice is going to go long today?"

Wally raised a brow as he parked in the Gallagher High parking lot. "It shouldn't. When do we ever go longer than scheduled?"

Kuki raised a brow. "How about every year in the weeks leading up to Homecoming. Coach Tosi always keeps you guys at least thirty minutes longer than usual when Homecoming gets close."

Wally shrugged. "It's an important game. And . . . yeah, that might happen. Why?"

"Well we've got to meet the others at The Max today, and I thought I'd let Abby know that we might be late," Kuki said as she pulled out her phone.

"I'll see if I can get Coach to keep us on the normal schedule today. If I can't, wait for me at the bleachers? I like having my cheerleader there for the whole practice," Wally teased lightly.

Kuki smiled as she leaned forward to kiss him softly. "Of course." Her smile softened. "I love you, Wallabee."

A smile melted onto Wally's face. "I love you, too."

As the couple walked through the parking lot, a small rainbow monkey keychain that had been clipped to Kuki's backpack gently swayed. Small writing with permanent marker showed under its foot.

 _"W+K"_

* * *

End Transmission. . .


End file.
